Wednesday, July 9, 2014

From STEM to Success

The women truly had the floor at the Clinton Foundation’s
“From STEM to Success: A No Ceilings Conversation” held in Denver on June 23rd. Led by Chelsea Clinton and a panel of influential
women in STEM fields, the conversation focused on the ever-present need to get
more girls interested in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math).

During the discussion, past and present statistics about
women in the STEM workforce were used to highlight the need for change.The statistics indicated a negative shift of
the diversity in STEM over the past couple decades.It was said that in 1984, 37 percent of
computer-science degrees were received by women; however, only 12 percent of
the same degrees are given to women today.This obvious decline of women pursuing careers in STEM is why Chelsea
Clinton and the Clinton Foundation are seeking a solution to one of America’s
largest remaining gender gaps.

“We’re looking from 1995 until 2015 as to where women and
girls have gained in terms of rights and opportunities around the world and in
the United States to where gaps still persist. And STEM around the world, but acutely here in
the U.S, is an area where not only the gap remains but the gap has widened in
the last 20 years,” said Clinton.She attributes
the widening gender gap to young women and girls not always being encouraged to
consider careers in STEM.

The problem seems to start in the early years of the
education system, where middle school teachers have been found to call on boys
more often than girls in science and math classes, discouraging the girls’
desire to stick with these subjects.Other problems include the increasing social pressures women see in the
STEM world, like their current underrepresentation in those fields.

Some young students spoke up at the event about their
personal experiences with the current social pressures facing women in the STEM
industry.“There’s a lot of boys in our
school who if they see a girl doing sciencey stuff they judge you and call you
a nerd and stuff. It’s totally fine for the boys, but people judge you for
being a girl who likes science.”Gender
bias like this is what the Clinton Foundation’s “No Ceilings Initiative” is
attempting to get rid of.

Recently, the Clinton Foundation has joined up with Google
on its “Made With Code Project,” which aims to provide young women with female
role models, or mentors, in an attempt to offer guidance for a future in STEM.

For more on the Clinton Foundation’s “From STEM to Success:
A No Ceilings Conversation,” and what is being done to close the gender gap in
STEM, go to: http://ti.me/1vdCY5v